The WTO and Free Trade (Both major political parties are dominated by global free trade advocates)The electronics giants don't even have to fight this battle themselves -- the free trade enthusiasts within the U.S. government, led by environmentalist Al Gore, are fighting it for them. For corporations, "global free trade" as embodied in the WTO is a dream come true.

The WTO Turns Back the Clock Clinton/Gore use WTO to fight Europe's ban on meat treated with cancer-causing hormones, Denmark ban of 200 lead compounds, the European Union's ban on lead, mercury and cadmium in electronic devices, and the European Union's law requiring food containing genetically modified organisms to be labeled.

Genetically Altering the World's Food"When the French were reluctant to allow Monsanto's seeds to sprout on French soil, Secretary of State Madeline Albright and U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshevsky intervened on Monsanto's behalf. When the French still refused to yield, President Clinton personally took up the matter with French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin and gave him "an earful," Lambrecht writes. When that didn't work, Vice-President Gore followed up with a phone call to the French Prime Minister. Ultimately, the French gave in to the steady, high-level pressure."